Apparatus for applying glue to box blanks



Nov. 6, 1962 J. P. LOPEZ APPARATUS FOR APPLYING GLUE T0 BOX BLANKS Filed Nov. 12, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JOHN P LOPEZ BY MWW ATTORNEYS.

J. P. LOPEZ APPARATUS FOR APPLYING GLUE TO BOX BLANKS Nov. 6, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 12, 1958 INVENTOR. JOHN E LOPEZ W vM Nov. 6, 1962 J. P. LOPEZ APPARATUS FOR APPLYING GLUE TO BOX BLANKS Filed Nov. 12, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JO/l/Y I? AOPEZ BY QW FIG. 4

United This invention relates to the art of glue applying equipment, more particularly of the type to apply glue to a moving surface.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a glue applying equipment of the above type which is relatively simple in construction, dependable in operation and may readily be disassembled for cleaning, which will apply a predetermined quantity of glue to a moving surface, which will automatically clean off glue at the side edges of the transfer roller thereof and return such glue back into the unit, and which may readily be adjusted without disassembly to set the quantity of glue to be.

applied as desired.

According to the invention these objects are accomplished by the arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the unit,

FIG. 2 is a sectional View thereof taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 2a is a detail sectional view of another embodiment of the presser roller,

FIG. 3 is a sectional View taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is an end view taken along line 55 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a box blank in open position.

Referring now to the drawings, the gluing unit desirably comprises a glue transfer roller 11 having a flat periphery 12 which preferably is knurled to prevent the glue applied thereto from being discharged as the roller rotates.

As shown in FIG. 2, the roller 11 has a hub 13 secured to a horizontal drive shaft 14 journalled in a bearing block 15 secured to the vertical frame 16 of the equipment in which the gluing unit is incorporated.

Mounted on the frame 16 is a support 17 illustratively a casting having a vertical wall 18 with a plurality of elongated slots 19 therein through which screws 21 extend securely yet adjustably to retain the support on the frame 16.

The support 17 has a ledge 22 extending laterally outward therefrom which mounts the horizontal leg 23 of an L-shaped bracket 24, the latter having an opening 25 through which extends a bushing 26, said bushing being rotatably mounted in said opening.

The bushing 26 has an annular flange 27 at one end with a radial threaded bore 28 to receive the corresponding threaded end of a control rod 29 which serves to rotate said bushing.

The bushing 26 has a bore 31 therethrough displaced from its axis as shown in FIG. 2 to serve as the eccentric mount for a stud shaft 32 which extends therethrough. The shaft 32 has a reduced diameter portion 33 at the extremity thereof extending through the bushing bore and which defines an annular shoulder 34. A pair of washers 35, 36 encompass said reduced diameter portion and straddle said bushing 26, the washer 35 being seated against said shoulder 34.

The bushing 26 and the washers 35, 36 are keyed to the shaft as at 37 and a nut 38 is screwed on the threaded end 39 of said shaft.

Thus, when the nut 38 is tightened, the shaft 32 will be retained in adjusted position as the washer 35 and the flange 27 of the bushing 26 will clamp the vertical leg 23 of the bracket 24 therebetween.

Rotatably mounted on the outer end of shaft 32 is a presser roller 41 which has a resilient periphery 42, that is vertically aligned with the knurled periphery of roller 11, suitable bearings 43' being provided to afford ready rotation of said roller 41.

In the illustrative embodiment shown, the equipment is used to apply glue to the undersurface of the connector flap 43 of a box blank B. To guide the flap 43 of the box blank B to be glued, between the rollers 11, 41, the casting 17 has an inclined outwardly extending ledge 45 desirably formed integral therewith over which the flap 43 will ride to be presented to the space between said rollers 11 and 41.

Means are provided to apply glue to the transfer roller 11 as it rotates. To this end, the casting 17 has an outstanding ledge 46 desirably formed integral therewith on the side of the roller 11 opposed to the guide ledge 45. Depending from the ledge 46 are a pair of spaced parallel arms 47 and 48 which define a yoke between which is positioned a hub 49 rising from a boss 50 at the top of a glue pot 51.

Extending through aligned openings in the arms 47, 48 and the hub 49 is a headed stud 52 which has an annular groove 53 in its nose end aligned with a transverse bore 54 in the arms 48. Thus, when a pin is inserted through said bore 54 across said groove 53, the glue pot will be securely yet pivotally mounted between said arms 47, 48. Desirably a vertical bore 55 extends through said ledge 46 and arm 48 and is in communication with said groove 53 for lubrication thereof.

To adjust the pivotal position of said glue pot 51, the ledge 46 has vertical tapped bores 56, 56' aligned with the ends of the boss 50 as shown in FIG. 1.

The bore 56 mounts an externally threaded sleeve 57 which may be retained in desired position by a nut 57'. The lower end of the bore of the sleeve is of reduced diameter as at 58 to define a shoulder that serves as a stop for the head of a plunger 59, the outer end 59' of which reacts against one end of'the boss 50. The plunger is urged outwardly by a coil spring 60 positioned in the sleeve 57, tension on the spring being set by a screw 60'.

The bore 56' carries a screw 79, the head of which reacts against the other end of boss 50. The screw 79 may be rotated at its head end to pivot the glue pot as desired, against the tension of coil spring 60 and locked in set position by tightening nut 79.

As shown in FIG. 1, the glue pot has a top wall 61 on which the boss 50 is mounted, a rear wall 62 and a bottom wall 63, the latter being downwardly inclined with respect to rear wall 62, said walls and the boss desirably being formed from a single casting.

Afiixed to the side edges of the walls 61, 62 and 63 as by screws 64 are side plates 65 and 66, the spacing between said walls being such that a portion of the front edges 67 thereof straddles the adjacent side edges 68 of the transfer roller 11.

As is shown in FIG. 1, the free erids 69, 71 of the top and bottom walls 61, 63 are spaced from the front edges 67 of the plates 65, 66. Aflixed as by screws 72 to the undersurface of bottom wall 63 and extending longitudinally therefrom is a plater73 preferably of nylon or Teflon, the free end 74 of which is beveled as at 75 to define a relatively sharp edge extending the width of the .3 periphery of the transfer roller 11, the front edges 67 of the plates 65, 66 extending beyond said edge 74.

The upper edges 75 of the plates 65, 66, between the front edges 67 thereof and the boss 50, are desirably covered by a plate 76 and each of the side plates 65, 66 has an elongated downwardly inclined recess 77 in its inner surface having its mouth 78 extending from the front edge 67 of the associated plate at the top thereof.

Means are provided to charge the glue pot 51. To this end the plate 66, for example, has an opening 81 in which is secured one end of a laterally extending pipe 82, the outer end of which has an elbow 83 secured thereto, the vertical leg of which has a conical receptacle 84 rising therefrom.

Secured to the frame 16 of the equipment is an air tight reservoir 85 which has a nipple 86 at its lower end to which a valve 87 is secured, a feed pipe 88 extending from said valve into the receptacle 84 and the nipple 83 to near the bottom of the latter.

In order to determine the level of the glue in the glue pot 51, the plate 66 has a boss 88 on its outer surface which has a downwardly inclined threaded bore directed into the interior of the glue pot 51, a sleeve 89 extending from the bore partly into the glue pot. A dip stick 91 is provided having a threaded knob 92 at its outer end which may be securely retained in the threaded bore and readily removed to withdraw the dip stick 91 so that the level of the glue may be determined.

The unit is mounted so that the flap 43 of the open box blank B advanced by a suitable conveyer such as the type shown in co-pending application Serial No. 745,979, filed July 1, 1958, will ride up the ledge 45 to be positioned between rollers 11 and 41.

To set up the equipment for operation, the reservoir 85 is charged with a suitable glue and then closed. When the valve 87 is opened, the glue will fill the receptacle 84 to substantially the level of the lower end of feed pipe 88 and flow through pipe 82 into the glue pot 51 to charge the latter, the level of the glue being automatically maintained.

The screw 79 is adjusted to pivot the glue pot 51 so that the edge 74 of plate 63 is at a distance from the periphery of the transfer roller 11 to provide the desired quantity of glue thereon.

By reason of the viscosity of the glue, substantially none will drip between the periphery of the roller 11 and the edge 74 of plate 63 and by reason of the close tolerance between the plates 65, 66 and the side edges 68 of the roller 11 therebetween, substantially no leakage will occur at such regions. In the event that there should be some slight leakage of glue, it will be collected in drip pan 90.

The presser roller 41 is adjusted by the rod 29 so that the distance between the rollers 11 and 41 will be sufficient to effect advance of the flap therebetween, yet without unduly compressing such flap and squeezing off the glue applied to the undersurface thereof.

As the roller 11 is rotated at the same rate of speed as the box blanks are advanced, the periphery of the roller 11 will advance through the glue pct 51 and the edge 74 of plate 73 will provide a layer of glue on the periphery of the roller 11 of the desired thickness. As the roller 11 continues its rotation, it will advance such glue until it reaches the undersurface of the flap 43 which will be pressed by the roller 41 against such roller 11 to apply glue to the undersurface of the flap 43 so that the latter may be secured to the panel 92 of the box blank when the latter is folded by the equipment described in said patent application above-identified.

As the roller 11 continues its rotation and passes between the side plates 65, 66 of the glue pot 51, any glue adhering to the edges 68 of the roller 11 will be scraped therefrom as such edges 68 move by the edge 92 of the recesses 77 in said plates. the glue thus scraped off being restored to the glue put -1.

Thereupon, as the periphery of the roller 11 is submerged in the glue in the glue pot 51, it will pick up additional glue, the thickness of the layer being determined by the position of the edge 74 of plate 73.

The embodiment of the presser roller 42' shown in FIG. 2a comprises a hub or sleeve 95 rotatably mounted on a shaft 32 by means of bearings 43'. tric support for shaft 32 is identical to that shown in FIG. 2, it will not be described.

The hub 95 adjacent its outer end has two spaced parallel flanges or discs 96 preferably formed integral therewith which serve to retain the flap 43 against the transfer roller 11 in the same manner as the presser roller 42 except that only the peripheries of the discs 96 exert pressure against the flap 43.

With this embodiment if any glue should be deposited on the peripheries of the discs 96 during initial start up of the equipment or during subsequent operation, since they are relatively narrow, but little glue would be transferred to the top of the flaps 43 which would have no serious effect such as causing superimposed box blanks to adhere.

With the equipment above described, the quantity of glue applied to the transfer roller 11 may readily be metered by a simple adjustment which will maintain constant the quantity of glue applied to the roller 11.

By reason of the recesses 77 in the side plates of the glue pot, the glue adhering to the side edges of roller 11, which is not applied to the flap 43, will be removed therefrom, preventing build-up of layers of glue which would prevent proper application of glue to the flap 43.

Although the equipment has been illustratively described with respect to its use in applying glue to the connector flap of a box blank, it is within the scope of the invention to apply glue to any moving surface.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Glue applying equipment comprising a glue transfer roller, a presser roller associated therewith, said transfer roller being of diameter considerably greater than that of said presser roller, means rotatably mounting said rollers, means to drive said transfer roller, a glue pot p0 sitioned laterally of said transfer roller. and having a mouth with a pair of spaced parallel walls adapted to straddle the side edges-of a relatively small portion of the periphery of the transfer roller with relatively little clearance therebetween, means to meter the quantity of glue carried by said transfer roller from said glue pot upon rotation of said transfer roller said metering means being spaced from said presser roller by an arcuate distance of greater than degrees and means on the inner surfaces of the spaced parallel walls of the glue pot to remove glue adhering to the side edges of the periphery of the transfer roller as the latter rotates and to guide such glue along said Walls of the glue pot into the interior thereof. 2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the inner surface of each of the side walls of the glue pot has a downwardly inclined recess extending from the upper edge of the mouth thereof, the lower side edges of the recess serving to remove the glue adhering to the side edges of the periphery of the transfer roller as the latter rotates, the recesses conveying such removed glue into the interior of the glue pot.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the presser roller is mounted on an axis parallel to the axis of said transfer roller, means to effect relative movement As the eccenbetween said rollers to vary the spacing therebetween, said means comprising a rotatably mounted bushing, having a shaft extending therethrough on an axis displaced from the axis of the bushing and parallel thereto, said presser roller being mounted on said shaft, whereby upon rotation of said bushing, the presser roller will be moved toward and away from the transfer roller and means to lock said presser roller in set position with respect to said transfer roller.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which said Presser roller comprises a plurality of spaced parallel discs.

5. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said glue pot has a bottom wall having a free edge extending transversely across the glue pot and spaced from the periphery of said transfer roller, a plate afiixed at one end to the bottom wall of said glue pot extending longitudinally thereof toward said transfer roller and positioned between the parallel side walls of said glue pot the free end of said plate being positioned adjacent the periphery of said transfer roller and extending transversely thereacross to define a passageway for the glue picked up by the transfer roller as it rotates through the glue pot, the means to meter the quantity of glue carried by the transfer roller regulating the distance between the free end of said plate and said transfer roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 188,670 Poole Mar. 20, 1877 863,429 Norris Aug. 13, 1907 1,099,551 Keith June 9, 1914 1,248,314 Grahl Nov. 27, 1917 1,412,471 Bombard et a1 Apr. 11, 1922 1,423,567 Bombard et al July 25, 1922 

